On Friday, the Spanish government approved the plan proposing that renewables make up 42% of the final energy consumption in 2030.

The plan also targets a 21% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to the 1990 levels, a 39.6% improvement in energy efficiency, a 74% share of renewables in the electricity generation and a 22% share of renewables in transport by 2030. Energy storage capacity should grow by an additional 6 GW.

Spain will target a 100% renewables share in the electricity sector by 2050, in line with the climate-neutral strategy set by the European Union.

The proposed technology-specific capacity targets are presented in the table below:

Source/Capacity in MW

2015

2020

2025

2030

Wind

22,925

27,968

40,258

50,258

Solar PV

4,854

8,409

23,404

36,882

Solar thermal

2,300

2,303

4,803

7,303

Hydro

14,104

14,109

14,359

14,609

Biomass

677

877

1,077

1,677

Coal-powered capacity will drop to 0-1,300 MW in 2030 from 4,532 MW estimated in 2025 and 11,311 MW in 2015, the base year.

Nuclear power capacity will decrease abruptly to 3,181 MW in 2030 from 7,399 MW in the base year.

Spain’s total installed capacity is estimated at 157 GW in 2030. Given the significant push for renewables in the 2021-2030 period, the ministry considers auctions will be the principal tool to achieve the targets in the coming decades.